UCLA to honor Abdul-Jabbar

LOS ANGELES (AP) — UCLA will celebrate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Day before and during the third-ranked Bruins’ basketball game against No. 14 Arizona on Saturday.

The school is honoring him after he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in November.

Abdul-Jabbar will speak at a pregame reception that includes his former Bruins teammates and members of coach John Wooden’s family. He’s also offering items from his personal collection in an auction with all proceeds benefiting his Skyhook Foundation.

At halftime, Abdul-Jabbar will address the crowd at Pauley Pavilion.

Fans will receive an Abdul-Jabbar poster and students who attend will receive T-shirts honoring him.

Abdul-Jabbar helped lead the Bruins to consecutive NCAA championships from 1967-69 under Wooden. The Hall of Famer played on teams that had an 88-2 record in his three seasons. He was named most outstanding player of the Final Four all three years.

The 69-year-old center is the NBA’s career scoring leader and won five league championships, four with the Lakers and one with Milwaukee, during his pro career.

Since retiring in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar has advocated for civil rights, cancer research and social justice.